The deadly attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego also placed more than 140 children attending Bright Horizon Academy, the mosque’s on-site school, in immediate danger. According to mosque leaders, the gunmen came within feet of students before lockdown procedures were activated. Nearby schools were also placed on lockdown as the community responded to the shooting. Mental health experts say the trauma from such violence can have lasting emotional effects on children, including anxiety, sleep problems, difficulty concentrating, and fear of returning to school.
Dr. David Schonfeld, a pediatrician specializing in school crisis response, emphasized the importance of parents, teachers, and community members openly discussing the tragedy with children and giving them space to express their feelings. Muslim community leaders also warned about the impact of rising anti-Muslim rhetoric, arguing that hateful political and online discourse can contribute to real-world violence. Speakers at a community press conference described the attack not only as an assault on a place of worship, but also as a school shooting that endangered young children. Authorities credited the actions of the three victims killed in the attack with delaying the shooters long enough for school lockdown measures to protect students and staff.
“When anti-Muslim hate is normalized in political discourse, media narratives and online spaces, there are real-world consequences. Our children hear that rhetoric, our families live with that fear, and increasingly our schools, our houses of worship, are forced to think about security in spaces that should have been places of peace.”
